Friday 8 January 2016

Tandoori Chicken Sandwiches with Smashed Peri Peri Avocado.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful


Do you guys meal prep?
I kind of don't but kind of want to.
If I was all organized and up for it on a Sunday, I would definitely prep these tandoori chicken sandwiches with smashed avocado.

I would marinade the tandoori chicken on Sunday morning, bake it off in the afternoon and then let it cool to pop in the fridge on Sunday night. And, if I was in the mood for smoky chicken, I would smoke my chicken as shown in this recipe.

And, the smashed peri peri avocado? That's a definite meal prep favourite. I would smash everything up and then if I was fussy (which I'm not!), I would search Google for how to stop mashed avocado going brown.

Finally, in my Sunday meal prep, I would make sure I had bread/buns/naan/tortillas ready for sandwiches in the week and get my salad things ready. We're talking cucumbers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, carrots and anything else you fancy. I would also make sure I had plenty of pickled jalapenos and tomato salsa <-- those two make any sandwich better.

Who am I kidding?! I can barely function on a Sunday let alone think about the week's meals. It's a good thing then, that these sandwiches are just as good made on the day itself.

Chicken Sandwiches, previously: Sweet + Spicy BBQ Chicken Brioche Sandwiches // Spicy Chicken Sandwiches // Peri Peri Chicken Wraps

A Simple List of Ingredients:

For the Baked Tandoori Chicken:
1. Plain Yoghurt
2. Garlic Paste
3. Ginger Paste
4. Lemon Juice
5. Pickled Jalapenos
6. Cumin Seeds
7. Salt
8. Tandoori Masala
9. Chicken Breasts

For the Smashed Peri Peri Avocado:

1. Avocados
2. Mayonnaise
3. Peri Peri Sauce
4. Pickled Jalapenos
5. Salt
6. Black Pepper

For the Sandwiches:
1. Sandwich Buns / Bread / Tortilla Wraps / Naan
2. Any Salad You Like
3. Any Tomato Salsa

Bismillah, let's begin!


Our first job is to marinade the chicken. All we do is place everything into a blender, blend to smooth and then stir into our chicken. I used one of these stick blenders but a food processor / jug is fine too.


Into your blender, place 4 tablespoons Plain Yoghurt.


Next, time for ginger and garlic. You can use fresh too! Just crush up the same amount.


In goes, 1 teaspoon Garlic Paste.


Followed by 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste.


Next, we need a little lemon juice. Add 3 tablespoons Bottled Lemon Juice or ...


... squeeze in the Juice of 1/2 Lemon.


Like so! Now that we have our citrus kick, the next thing our chicken needs is a little spice.


In the form of pickled jalapenos! Now, you can of course use 2 Green Chillies, sliced. I am obsessed with these pickled chillies though and basically throw them into anything and everything!


Add in 2 tablespoons Pickled Jalapenos.


If some of the pickle juice gets in, even better!


Next up, cumin seeds! You can throw in ground cumin too for which I would use 1 teaspoon. I like the seeds here though.


We'll put in 2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds.


Followed by 1 teaspoon Salt. Or to taste.


Then, one of my favourite spices, tandoori masala. I love this stuff. Even though it looks really spicy, there's actually no chilli in it - plenty of flavour without all the heat!


Add in 2 teaspoons Tandoori Masala.


And, that's it! The marinade is ready to be blended!


Blend until it's smooth.


Like so! Give it a taste at this point and adjust anything, if needed.


Then, grab your chicken. I used 2 Chicken Breasts, which were cut up into slices. I think slices are better for sandwiches than chunks but you can do whatever you like.


Pour all the marinade into the chicken.


Stir it in.


Cover the bowl and leave to marinade for a few hours (I did two!) or overnight. But, if you're in a real rush and are super hungry, feel free to bake straight away.


To bake the chicken, pre-heat the oven to 200C / Gas Mark 5. Grab an oven dish.


Scrape in all the chicken along with its marinade.


Spread out in an even layer and bake for 15 minutes.


Take it out.


And, turn the chicken over.


Bake again for 5 minutes.


Then, drain out the liquid.


Pop back in to bake for a final 5 minutes. At this point, if you want Smoky Tandoori Chicken, smoke it with hot coals as shown in this recipe! Just pop the hot coal on a piece of foil in the middle of the dish and cover the whole thing with foil to let the smoke infuse.
 
So, altogether we're baking the chicken for 25 minutes. And, because for most of that time, the chicken is baking in its marinade, it stays really soft and tender.
The liquid/gravy has so much flavour - you can chop your chicken and toss it with the gravy for your sandwiches, if you want.
Also, this chicken is great with practically anything - I just made sandwiches because that's what I was craving.


I let my chicken cool overnight because I prefer it cold in sandwiches with smashed avocados. Speaking of avocados, let's prep them! Take 2 Ripe Avocados. Nobody likes unripe avocados.


Slice them in half, remove the stone and slice.


Then, cut the slices into chunks. This is easier for smashing!


To smash, take a fork and go for it! Keep it as chunky or as smooth as you like.


Next, mayo for extra creaminess (and in my case, to mask the avocado flavour - still not a 100% fan!) and peri peri sauce for spicy goodness.


Throw in 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise.


Along with 2 tablespoons Peri Peri Sauce.


You can always add more later! Which I definitely did because I'm addicted to the stuff.


Next, my other addiction and because we have a giant tin in the house, 2 tablespoons Pickled Jalapenos


Give them a fine chop.


And, add them to the bowl along with 1/2 teaspoon Salt and 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper.


Give everything a good stir and then taste! Add more salt, more pepper, more mayo and more peri peri sauce, if it needs it!


To assemble the sandwiches, I grabbed my chicken from the fridge and then sliced up everything in the salad drawer --> cucumbers + tomatoes + carrots + cherry tomatoes.


Sandwich bar for lunch! I love doing this - you just dump everything in and let people pick and choose what they want.


First, I toasted up sandwich buns.


Sliced up some chicken and left the rest whole. The chicken was still super soft even after having been in the fridge all night.


Next, the smashed avocado!


Followed by all the salad.


And, hot tomato salsa for dipping.


Plus more jalapenos!



Lunch is ready!



Side note - the smashed avocado is the best dip especially with black pepper Cheddar thins.
And, the chicken! So good on it's own! I can't tell you how much of this I snacked on whilst shooting this recipe.
Some of us piled everything into the buns!
And, some of us went for the open sandwich situation! 

The best lunch in ages! And maybe one day, I will actually prep it on a Sunday! There's always hope.

Full Written Recipe:


Tandoori Chicken Sandwiches with Smashed Peri Peri Avocado.

Prep Time: About 20 minutes + As Long As You Want to Marinade the Chicken For.
Cook Time: About 25 minutes.
Serves: About 3 people.

Ingredients

For the Baked Tandoori Chicken
4 tablespoons Plain Yoghurt
1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
Juice of ½ Lemon – about 3 tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons Pickled Jalapenos OR 2 Green Chillies, sliced
2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Tandoori Masala
2 Chicken Breasts, sliced

For the Smashed Peri Peri Avocado
2 ripe Avocados
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Peri Peri Sauce
2 tablespoons Pickled Jalapenos, finely chopped
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper

For the Sandwiches
Sandwich Buns, toasted
Cucumber, sliced
Tomatoes, sliced
Cherry Tomatoes, sliced
Carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
Pickled Jalapenos
Hot Tomato Salsa

Method

To marinade the tandoori chicken, place the yoghurt, garlic paste, ginger paste, lemon juice, pickled jalapenos, cumin seeds, salt and tandoori masala in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Pour the marinade over the chicken slices and stir well. Cover and leave to marinade for a few hours or overnight. If you’re in a real rush, you can bake straight away too.

To bake the tandoori chicken, pre-heat the oven to 200C / Gas Mark 5. Place the chicken along with all its marinade into an oven dish. Spread into an even layer and bake for 15 minutes.
Then, take out and turn the chicken over. Bake again for 5 minutes. Then, take out and drain out the liquid. Bake for a final 5 minutes.

To make the smashed peri peri avocado, slice the avocados in half, remove the stones and slice into chunks. Place in a bowl and smash with the back of a fork. Keep the avocado as chunky or as smooth as you like.
Add the mayonnaise, peri peri sauce, chopped pickled jalapenos, salt and pepper. Mix well, taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.

To assemble the sandwiches, prepare all the ingredients and anything extra that you would like. The chicken can be used hot but it is just as good cold. You can also use bread instead of buns – soft tortillas would be good too. Make your sandwiches and enjoy!

{Tandoori Chicken Inspired By Naz Kitchen Fun + Smashed Avocado Inspired By These Sandwiches I Made in August 2014}

This Time One Year Ago:

Cappuccino Pavlova

This Time Two Years Ago:
 Lamb Mince Samosa Filling

This Time Three Years Ago:

Chicken Biryani

Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your sandwiches,

Wasalaam!


Spice Enthusiast
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